They say dogs are a man’s best friend, which probably has been proved over the years. Having a pet dog is a dream come true for a lot of us and it is pretty obvious that when you have a dog you have to take care of his food habits and nutritional needs. Dry food is one of the most common type of dog food available in the stores because of the fact that it can be really helpful for your dog’s gums and teeth because it is chewy. At the same time, dry dog food is pocket friendly and can be stored easily. In this article, we discuss about the Best dry dog food available for Great Danes & puppies.

Great Danes Nutrition (Diet Needs) : Calories & Protein

*** Please Note : these estimates are calculated from an average Weight of this breed. every dog is different. so, please talk to your vet before making any changes to your Great Dane’s diet.

Diet and Nutritional needs of Great Dane puppy:

Great Dane is a fast-growing German breed of a domestic dog. They are popular and loved because of their giant sizes. So it is obvious that they have a unique food habit as well. Generally, Great Danes grow very fast. They start growing from the first eight to eighteen months. To make this growth even, you need to take care of the type and quantity of food you feed it. As Large Breed Dogs require good amount of Food & Exercise. If you want a healthy puppy which will grow in its own way, protein levels you give it should at least be 23%. You also need to make sure that the food you give has less amount of fat in it, around 12%. Great Dane Puppies might need some more food compared to the fully grown. When you choose food for your Great Dane, you need to remember certain things.

They can develop arthritis and hip dysplasia. Give them food in a way which promotes slow and balanced growth so that its bones and muscles can grow properly.

They are prone to bloating so you need to choose their food carefully.

You can feed fat products which are rich in vitamins or fish oil. That makes your dog’s coat shiny.

Food Allergies of Great Danes and how you should deal with it:

Dogs have a not so sensitive canine digestive tract. They keep eating a lot of unwanted stuff all day but are still fine generally. Great Danes, like every other dog species, are prone to food allergies. They can have an itchy skin, which can be due to yeast overgrowth in the body. Now, what you can do is switch to a single protein food. If the dog feels better after two weeks of changing his diet, you understand that the allergy was due to the food. Most of the dog allergies are protein driven.

They might also have intolerance to certain food products. Unlike popular belief, dogs can be allergic to meat or turkey. Food allergies can cause hair loss, recurring ear infections and skin infections that don’t seem to go. Most of them are due to intolerance towards one or many ingredients towards its food. What you can do is consult your vet and try to change his diet. If that doesn’t help, it is necessarily not a food allergy and needs a different kind of diagnosis. To avoid these allergies, you can actually switch to some of the premium brand of dry foods to keep your dog fit and healthy.

Reviews of the 4 Best Dry Foods for Great Danes

Here are a list of four best dry foods for Great Dane puppies and their pros and cons

1. Stella and Chewy’s

This is probably one of the best dog foods available, very close to natural food offered to dogs. It is made from beef, duck, rabbit, turf, chicken and a lot of other nutrients. You get pure meat and not meat meals. You also get veg products which has fresh fruits and vegetables. We take a look at the pros and cons of the product.

Pros

It is not made of meat meals but pure meat such as chicken, beef, turf or surf, pheasant, venison and so on.

Veg packs contain fresh fruits and vegetables and no This keeps the dog healthy and prevents any kind of digestive problems.

The food product is rich in minerals and vitamins and the correct amount of proteins and fats.

They come in 9 different grain free recipes.

It makes your dog healthier and also makes its coat shiny.

You can add water to make a broth which makes the food more delicious for your dog. However, some Danes prefer their food dry.

Cons

You need to be really aware of the allergies your Dane has before choosing your suitable pack.

It is pretty high in protein, so make sure your Dane needs that much protein before purchasing the product.

According to the users, the product quality varies and may fluctuate at times.

It might make their teeth turn a bit yellow with time and make their mouth stinky, if not washed regularly.

2. Taste of the Wild

This is a grain free brand which has both dry and canned products. The products can be veg or non-veg. They generally contain chicken, lamb, fish oil, blueberries, salmon and many other formulae. This is one of the top sold products on websites. Taste of the wild also has wild kibble which your dog can try. The product is known to give your dog a shiny coat and is quite healthy. You can also make your dog try the treats.

Pros

They have a lot of options starting from meat to fish to fruits and vegetables and you can switch from one to the other according to your preference.

It is rich in proteins and hence good for your Dane’s health.

The product has fish oil which is good for you pup’s skin and coat.

Generally this product gets positive dog owner responses.

All the packs are not that expensive compared to other products.

It doesn’t have a lot of filler.

Cons

Taste of the Wild contains salt which is not a great news for the pup’s health.

Your pup might get allergies if it is intolerant to meat or fish products.

It contains natural flavor to enhance the taste of the food which is again not very useful for your pup.

Some of the packs can be a bit expensive depending on their contents.

3. Orijen Dog Food

Orijen Dog Food is a brand which comes with seven different types of food packs depending on the age group and type of dogs. It is again a grain free dog food which contains ingredients like chicken, chicken liver, eggs, flounder, turkey and a lot of other nutritional elements. It contains a high level of protein, fats and carbohydrates. It is made of 75% of meat and around 25% of fish meat which is good for your pup’s health.

Pros

It is an excellent source of fatty acids as it contains salmon.

It has russet potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas, which increases the carbohydrate level in the body.

The ingredients used are fresh and healthy and are responsible for increasing your pup’s energy and level of activities.

They test their fishes and make sure they are free from heavy metal or mercury. They add fishes which are fit for human consumption only.

Peas and red lentils add to the dietary fiber which is important for the puppy’s health.

Cranberries and blueberries in the product act as anti-oxidants for the dog’s body.

Proteinates in the product helps the dog’s body to absorb all the nutrients from its food.

It is liked by its users and has a good review online.

Cons

One thing which you should really be concerned about is the amount of proteins it contains. As we know, that Great Danes should not be fed a lot of proteins together. So, it is better that you check and consult with your vet before using the product for you pup.

They use pea fiber instead of corn as the filler of the product. This might not be good for your Dane as it can have laxative effects as a result of which your dog will have loose stools.

They use kelp in their product. Now, if kelp has more amount of iodine that might be a problem for the puppy.

Crude protein in the product is a bit more than government recommendations so there is a bit of concern regarding that.

4. Wellness Dog Food

Wellness Dog Food has simple ingredients which have been designed for dogs with allergies and health issues. It is a grain free product and has a number of recipes. They don’t use animal fat in their recipe which makes them a unique brand to use.

The product has chicken, lamb, barley and a salmon meal, whitefish and potato. You have different combinations for different age groups starting from puppies to fully grown dogs. The simple ingredient diet consists of duck and oatmeal, salmon and potato meal, turkey and potato meal and lamb and oatmeal.

Pros

Some products are specially made for dogs with food allergies. The meal is simple with less but important ingredients.

Some packs don’t use animal fats which is a really good news for dog owners.

They have been made with a proper balance of proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates with no unwanted calories.

You get a lot of snacks for your dog as well like well bites, well bars and so on.

Green vegetables present in the food product and a lot of pro and prebiotics help in reducing stool odor.

No added preservatives or taste enhancers which makes the product close to natural.

It is preferred by its users and is considered to be a premium brand of dog food.

Cons

The fat content in the product is a bit low compared to other dry food products available. This might lead to insufficient fats in the dog’s body which is not a good news.

Vegetables are present in very low quantities.

Crude protein used in the product is a bit more than government standards.

They had a few recalls in the past years.

Great Dane Raw Diet Recipes

Many owners fall the concept of raw diet. You can also follow raw diet for your pup and see if it works. Following are the ingredients for raw meat recipe.

Meat: meat should consist of 90% of the meal every day. It can consist of chicken, turkey, lamb, beef or fish.

You should offer organic meat such as round stomach, liver, kidney or lungs.

You can offer buffalo, duck, rabbits or ostrich to get the protein levels higher.

You can also use some vegetables and organic things like eggs, cheese or yogurt.

If you are using vegetables, you can make a vegetable puree, separate the meat pieces according to the meal, then add the puree to the meat and you can mix an egg or cheese to it.

Dogs are meat eaters in general. So any dry food you purchase, which might contain grains, can be unhealthy for your Dane as the digestive system of dogs are not designed to consume grains in that much amount. It may lead to indigestion and loose stool. Raw meals are healthy for your dogs. It can often be better than market products because it is made at home and though a little time consuming, it is really healthy for your dog.

This is what happens when Great Danes really like the Food!!

Great Dane Eating Habits

Great Danes have different eating habits depending on their age.

As a puppy, you need to maintain one food schedule for a month and then change it. During first 6 months, you feed your pup 3 times a day. When the pup is 7 to 9 months old, reduce that to 2 meals per day. Maintain this amount till the puppy turns 1.

At the age of 2 months, feed the pup 2 to 4 cups of food. Increase that by one cup every month. A 6 month old should be fed 6 to 8 cups. Increase that to 7 to 9 cups till the puppy is a year old. An adult should be fed 6 to 9 cups and you can feed up to 8 to 14 cups of food.

Make sure your Dane exercises a lot and accordingly you can increase the diet. Don’t feed your Dane a lot. Maintain a balanced diet depending on the dog’s age and health. And after that you should always consider a Very Good Bed for your Dane as well.

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Meet James Schmitz

Hello Everyone!,
As I have passion for dogs. My ambition is to create a community for Cynophilist that everyone could share useful knowledge & experiences about dogs & give them the best life experience.
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